Free Kargil from isolation, build the Zojilla Tunnel #ZojilaKargil

Every year for more than 6 months, Kargil - a district of Ladakh in Jammu & Kashmir (India), is isolated from the rest of the world - resulting in lack of medical care, food supply shortage, adverse effects on the education system. The district stands at the bottom of socio-economic development due to inaccessibility and isolation .The region is strategically important ignoring an all weather route is also a compromise on national securty. It's high time that some action is taken for the construction of Zojila Tunnel. Kargil is a remote, high altitude area with harsh climatic conditions. Is it becoming a frontier of neglect?

The region gained in prominence to the outer world after the Kargil War of 1999. It's connected to Kashmir valley and outer world via Zojila pass.

Even though the Centre has approved 1333 crores for the 12 km Zojila tunnel - the delay in the submition of the report has kept Kargil waiting for accessiblity.

In April 2009, the contract for feasibility survey for Zojila Tunnel was awarded to M/s iBilt Technology, New Delhi. The submission deadline was extended to March 2011 and further extended by nine months and the latest time frame they quote is March 2012. And now as the Feasibility Report has been delayed by almost 3 years, actual cost of the project is likely to increase.

This is the only route which will result in dramatic shift in socio-economic development of the region. The dream tunnel will help the local youth to realise their dream future. The tunnel will save crores of state money, now being spent for air maintenance and winter stocking of the region both by army and civil administration. Any development on the tunnel work depends on the feasibility report, which is unnecessarily delayed by the company involved, this also reflects no pressure from the govt to make them submit the report on time.

Please sign the petition and tell the Union Minster of Transport & Highways to do the following:

-- To ensure the immediate release of report and positive action on the tunnel project soon this year. Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) should put pressure on IBILT Technology to release the report in March 2012 – which is latest proposed deadline, and leave no scope for delay.

-- To set up a commission on Zojila tunnel project, involving all the stake holders and local groups, to foresee development on the tunnel work so as to avoid this kind of unnecessary delays on the proposed tunnel in future and for larger interest of the local population.

I would like bring to your notice an issue concerned with people of Kargil, Ladakh.

Kargil, a district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in North India is a remote, high altitude area with harsh climatic conditions. The region gained in prominence to the outer world after the Kargil War of 1999. Prior to the war, the district was not even known to the rest of the country and the world at large. Although Kargil received much attention as a battlefield, the long pending demand for all weather tunnel of the local population remain unnoticed.

Kargil is connected to the Kashmir valley and outer world via Zojila pass, which becomes inaccessible atleast for six months in winters due to heavy snowfall and hence begins a period of isolation for the people and youth of Ladakh.

After years of demand for a tunnel across Zojila pass, the parliament of India in March 2007approved the construction of Zojila Tunnel and June 2008 was the deadline to complete the feasibility report and design. In April 2009, the contract for feasibility survey for Zojila Tunnel was awarded to M/s iBilt Technology, New Delhi through global tenders and the study was to be completed in October, 2010 following which the report was to be submitted to the state government. The submission deadline was extended to March 2011 and further extended by nine months and the latest time frame they quote is March 2012. And now as the Feasibility Report has been delayed by almost 3 years, actual cost of the project is likely to increase manifold.

The construction of tunnel at Zojila can make the Zojila axis all weather road to Kargil and larger part of Ladakh. This is the only route which will result in dramatic shift in socio-economic development of the region. The dream tunnel will help the local youth to realise their dream future. The tunnel will save crores of state money, now being spent for air maintenance and winter stocking of the region both by army and civil administration.

I would like to bring to your notice, that any development on the tunnel work depends on the feasibility report, which is unnecessarily delayed by the company involved, this also reflects no pressure from the govt to make them submit the report on time.

Keeping in view the current state of affair, it becomes vital to call upon the govt:

-- To ensure the immediate release of Detailed Project Report (DPR) and positive action on the tunnel project soon this year. Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) should put pressure on IBILT Technology to release the report in March 2012 – which is latest proposed deadline, and leave no scope for delay.

-- To set up a commission on Zojila tunnel project, involving all the stake holders and local groups, to foresee development on the tunnel work so as to avoid this kind of unnecessary delays on the proposed tunnel in future and for larger interest of the local population.

-- To start work simultaneously on both the phases (I and II) of the tunnel so as to give immediate relief to the people of Ladakh from isolation.